# How to give feedback on 3D so it's understood the first time

> Good feedback is tied to a place and describes the result: a number on a screenshot of the render and a line in a list — "darker knob, like the sample". Edits are collected into one list per round from one person, so contradictions are settled before they reach the artist. Errors — differences from the product or the brief — are kept apart from wishes, and instead of "make it pop" you give a reference.

Source: https://gluke.ru/knowledge/giving-feedback · Author: Alexander Glukhov · Updated: 2026-10-08

"Not quite" and "make it pop" are the most common edits and the most expensive: the artist guesses what was meant, and the round is wasted. Feedback that's understood the first time is simple to put together.

## Tie each edit to a place

> **Illustration:** Two diagrams. Top: a render and a speech bubble saying 'Make it pop'. Bottom: the same render with three numbers on parts and a list of edits by those numbers.
>
> A number on the render and a line in the list: it's clear where and what to change.

Take a screenshot of the render, put numbers on it, and below it a list by number. Any image editor works, even drawing with a finger on a phone.

## Describe the result, not the method

"Darker knob, like the sample" beats "reduce brightness by 20%": the artist knows how to get there, and you know what the result should be. If you have an example, attach it: a photo of the sample, a frame from another render, a [reference](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/glossary#reference).

## One list per round

> **Illustration:** Two timelines between version 1 and version 2. Top: seven messages from different people at random times. Bottom: one combined list of edits.
>
> Scattered edits contradict each other. One list per round doesn't.

When edits arrive one by one from different people, they contradict each other: one asks for a lighter background, another for a darker one. Collect the edits within your team, resolve the conflicts and send one list from one person. How this ties into the stages of the work is covered in [Stages of 3D visualization](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/approval-stages).

## Errors and wishes, separately

> **Illustration:** Two columns. Left, 'Errors': wrong knob shape, side screw missing, color off the RAL. Right, 'Wishes': warmer light, slightly higher angle, lighter background.
>
> An error gets fixed without discussion; a wish is a reason to suggest options.

- **An error** is a difference from the product, the drawings or the brief: the wrong shape, a missing part, the wrong color. It gets fixed without discussion.
- **A wish** is a matter of taste: warmer light, a higher angle. It helps to mark it as such — the artist can then suggest their own take or show two options.

## Say what's already good

This isn't politeness. If the reply contains only edits, it's unclear what else is approved. A line like "shape and angle approved" saves a whole round.

## A change of task is not an edit

If the task has changed — another color, a different format, a new platform — say so directly and separately from the edits. That makes it easier to agree on what gets redone and in what order.

## What it looks like in practice

- [Velesgard](https://gluke.ru/projects/velesgard): several rounds of edits on materials — metal instead of "plastic" — on the background and on how readable the logo was.
- [Prime Box](https://gluke.ru/projects/prime-box): the brief's edits pointed at specific parts — rivets and screws, [textures](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/glossary#texture), fans with an "infinity effect", the logo color.

## Common mistakes

- "Don't like it" with no explanation of what exactly.
- Edits as voice messages, one at a time.
- Contradicting edits from different people.
- Shape edits on the final render.

## Checklist

1. A screenshot with numbers, plus a list.
2. Each line says what's wrong and what the result should be.
3. One list from one person per round.
4. Errors separate from wishes.
5. What is already approved.
6. Changes to the task in a separate message.